At the NFL combine, Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt was asked about what the team will do with Johnson, who will count for $10 million towards the salary cap in 2014.

“It’s a process you go through with everyone on your football team,” Whisenhunt told CBS Sports. “Putting together the team is not an exact science. So we’re under no deadline to do it. We have a lot of things to evaluate going forward. Chemistry’s a big part of it. There’s no rush to make a decision.”

The Titans apparently made their decision, and it will involve either trading Johnson or releasing him.

I suspect the #Titans are gauging trade interest for RB Chris Johnson. Not sure how successful they'll be with expectation he'll be released

First, his contract is exorbitant. In a league where the value of the running back position continues to decrease, Johnson’s $10 million cap hit is second only to Adrian Peterson’s $14.4 million. And Johnson has made it quite clear he’s not going to take a pay cut to remain with the Titans.

There has also been diminishing return in Johnson’s play. Johnson didn’t eclipse 1,100 rushing yards in two of the last three seasons. He finished with a career low of 3.9 yards per carry in 2013. And he’s hitting the point of his career — he’s turns 29 during the upcoming season — where the play of running backs generally drops off dramatically.

Trading Johnson will be next to impossible, though.

“Teams around the league are also expecting Johnson to be released at some point, so why give up a draft pick if he’s going to be on the market and could be had with no compensation?” Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean wrote. “Plus, it’s a pretty deep free agent class at running back, with backs like Houston’s Ben Tate, Indianapolis’ Donald Brown and Oakland’s Darren McFadden available. The released of Saints running back Darren Sproles put him in the mix in recent weeks. Other options are available, and that’s not counting the prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft.”

If and when Johnson is released — and there is no timetable on a final decision — multiple teams could be interested in his services.

Former Titans offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains is currently the quarterbacks coach of the Cleveland Browns. The Browns don’t have a starting-caliber running back on the roster and have plenty of cap space to spend.

The St. Louis Rams’ Jeff Fisher was the Titans head coach when the team selected Johnson in the first-round of the 2008 NFL draft. Johnson could reunite with Fisher, if he’s willing to share a backfield with Zac Stacey and Daryl Richardson.

Other teams in need of help at running include the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Oakland Raiders.